Naiara has started a three-month research stay at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. From February to May, she will be working at Dr. Huabing Yin's research group. Her focus will be learning Raman spectroscopy, a technique widely used in fields such as material science and biology.

Raman spectroscopy is an analytical technique that uses laser light to examine the vibrational modes of molecules. It provides detailed information about the molecular composition and structure of materials. It is widely used in fields like chemistry, biology, and materials science to study chemical reactions, detect substances, and analyze biological tissues.

This stay offers Naiara a great opportunity to expand her knowledge and gain experience with this technique.

A new manuscript has recently been accepted for publication in Physics of Fluids, an AIP Publishing journal.

This marks the conclusion of an active collaborative effort between the University of Barcelona, led by Prof. Aurora Hernández-Machado’s group from the Condensed Matter Physics Department and the Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (IN2UB), and the Microfluidics Cluster at UPV/EHU.

Congratulations to all the authors—many more to come!

Abstract: Air-permeable porous media hosts air within their pores. Upon removal from the material’s interior, these porous media have the tendency to replenish the air, effectively acting as a suction pump. Therefore, the technique used to convert a porous media into a pump, consists of degassing the material to remove their air inside. The suction property when recovering the air, can be used to move a liquid through a microfluidic channel, studying the dynamics of the liquid-air front. In this article, we have developed a theoretical mathematical model that precisely characterize the behavior of this kind of pumps and the dynamics of the liquid-air front. This model allows us to use porous media pumps as very accurate devices to move liquids in a completely controlled way, being able to obtain characteristic properties of fluids such as viscosity or the pressure applied to them. We have tested it using experimental data from the literature, and we have been able to observe that the theory fits satisfactorily with the experiments, being able to affirm that the model is correctly satisfied. This type of pump is of great interest to the scientific community because of its small size and the fact that it operates without any external power source.

Congratulations Enrique! 

A new manuscript was recently published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces journal.

The paper entitled:  CellStudio: a Modular, Tunable and Accessible Platform for Analysis of Growth Factors Secretions in Cell Cultures by Enrique Azuaje-Hualde, Naiara Lartitegui-Meneses, Juncal Alonso-Cabrera, Asier Inchaurraga-Llamas, Yara Alvarez-Braña, Marian Martínez-dePancorbo,Fernando Benito-Lopez and Lourdes Basabe-Desmonts, presents CellStudio an innovative, user-friendly solution that exploits Printing and Vacuum Lithography combined with bead-based assays to create modular and tunable cell patterns surrounded by biosensors. This platform allows for high-resolution, spatially resolved analysis of secreted proteins, such as VEGF and FGF-2, while being easily implementable in standard laboratory settings. CellStudio’s design is compatible with conventional laboratory equipment, facilitating its integration into existing workflows without the need for extensive training or specialized tools. Validation experiments using mesenchymal stem cells and HeLa cells demonstrated that CellStudio can detect small secretion levels from small cell clusters with high sensitivity and analyze diffusion profiles, remarking the possibilities for studying cell behavior. By offering a standardized, cost-effective approach to detailed cellular analysis, CellStudio significantly enhances the capabilities of traditional cell culture techniques with broad applications across biological and biomedical research.

Nicolas Nazar was invited to serve as an Editor for the Research Topic Avian Senses, Immunology, and Welfare in the Frontiers in Physiology journal. The Topic has achieved significant success, garnering over 32,000 views and downloads. Nicolas also led the authorship of the Editorial article in the resulting publication.

This e-book centers on understanding the complex interactions between avian physiology, senses, and immune responses, which are crucial for ensuring the welfare and adaptive success of bird species in various environments. Avian physiology is intimately linked to their welfare, influencing how birds cope with environmental stressors through a range of physiological pathways. Being able to objectively analyze and quantify welfare status is a milestone that will lead to synergy between the field of microfluidics and avian (animal) welfare.

Article

Pablo and Fernando presented a Microfluidic Device for Plasma Separator prototoype at the stand from University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU in the Science for Industry S4I Event in Madrid the 29-30 of January.

The S4i event focuses on accelerating Europe's industrial innovation through knowledge-based models and deep science. It plays a crucial role in reindustrializing the economy, positioning science-driven technologies as key to boosting competitiveness and ensuring future growth. By commercializing new technologies faster, S4i aims to strengthen Europe's global leadership in industry and innovation.

For more details, check out their official site.

On the 13th of December, the hosting  team from the Universidad Publica de Navarra, (Institute of Smart Cities / Electrical, Electronic and Communications Engineering Dept.) held the 2º TACO during a whole day event.

Representatives of the following R+D+i Institutions attended and presented oral communications to foster networking: TEKNIKER, Microfluidics Cluster UPV/EHU, CIC Biomagune, Silicon Austrian Labs, CEIT and UPNA.

This was a great opportunity to forecast research and envisage collaborations to come as well as academy-industry interactions.

Links to institutions involved:

https://www.unavarra.es/en/sites/research-institutes/isc.html

https://www.cicbiomagune.es/org/researchgroup-detail/42447

https://silicon-austria-labs.com/en/

https://www.ceit.es/

https://www.tekniker.es/es/ingenieria-de-superficies

On December 17th, the B5Tec team visited our laboratories.

It was an excellent opportunity to learn about their cutting-edge technology and explore potential future collaborations and projects.

A special thanks to Alberto Quintero, Alberto Bernaldo, and Oscar Crespo for the visit. We look forward to what lies ahead!

One year more all members of the Microfluidics Cluster UPV/EHU celebrate their traditional Xmas Lunch!

An event full of great people, food and.... PRESENTS!!

We would like to wish you MERRY CHRISTMAS! and all the best for the NEW YEAR 2025!

Many thanks to Prof. María del Carmen Blanco López and Prof. María Teresa Fernandez Sánchez for the invitation and great experience visiting their laboratories.

Fernando gave two seminars at the MASTER IN BIOTECHNOLOGY OF ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH of the University of Oviedo as part of the course on "Biosensors":

•    "Microfluidic Devices for Chemical and Biological Applications"
•    "From Lab to Field: Environmental Analysis with Microfluidics"

The seminars were organized by the University lnstitute of Biotechnology of Asturias (IUBA).

We are pleased to announce the continuation of activities within the NyNA Consortium, following our initial meeting in Santiago de Compostela during the XI NyNA Congress. As committed, a virtual meeting was carried out on November 22, 2024. This meeting is an important step in moving forward with the NyNA Consortium’s goals.

Our group had a prominent role in the First Scientific Meeting “Passion for Science”, held at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) in Vitoria-Gasteiz. This event gathered over 110 attendees and featured more than 50 scientific presentations, including oral and poster sessions, becoming a key forum for researchers from various fields.

Learn more about the event here.

Our participation was highly active: Lourdes was part of the Scientific Committee, contributing significantly to the organization and scientific success of the event. Nico, Pablo, and Isabel delivered oral presentations, showcasing the quality and relevance of their work. Gema, Asier, Juncal, Sara, Sukayna and Jesús presented their research in the form of posters, highlighting the diversity and depth of our research lines.

As a special achievement, Asier won the Best Poster Award of the congress, a recognition that underscores the excellence of the work conducted by the Microfluidics Cluster. Congratulations, Asier!

We are proud to have contributed to the success of this first edition of “Passion for Science” and to have shared our research with the scientific community. We are already looking forward to participating in the next edition next year!

A big thank you to the organizing committee and all participants for making this event a scientific milestone!

This year's theme was “Cada gota cuenta: ciencia al servicio del agua y de la vida”, so we decided to talk about the different types of pollutants affecting our planet and health, but in a more interactive way. Therefore, during the month of October we met to create an escape room that included the main axis of the Zientzia Astea and, of course, microfluidics!

This workshop called "Vigilantes del río: huir de la contaminación" was held on Friday 8th November in Bilbao and Saturday 9th November in Gasteiz being a great success.

Children participants managed to get out!

What an amazing success: 5 posters, 1 oral presentation and a workshop carried out by the Microfluidics Cluster UPV/EHU at microTAs conference in Montreal.

The contributions are:

Investigating T Cell Activation and Cytokine Secretion Using a Novel Cell Monitoring Platform. N. Lartitegui-Meneses, E. Azuaje-Hualde, A. Merino, A. Colom, J. Saez,  F. Benito-Lopez, L. Basabe-Desmonts, 28th International Conference on Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences, Micro Total Analysis Systems, μ-TAS-2024, Montreal, Canada, 13-17 October, 2024, (POSTER) M198.j.

A Microfluidic Passive Device for Plasma Enriched in Platelets Separation from Whole Blood Made of Acrylic and Tape. P. E. Guevara-Pantoja, Y. Alvarez-Braña, J. Mercader-Ruiz, F. Benito-Lopez, L. Basabe-Desmonts, 28th International Conference on Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences, Micro Total Analysis Systems, μ-TAS-2024, Montreal, Canada, 13-17 October, 2024, (ORAL) Monday, session 1C1.

Autonomous Microfluidic Device for the Naked-Eye Detection of Benzodiazepines in Adulterated Beverages. I. Poves-Ruiz, E. Azuaje-Hualde, I. Corchado-Gonzalez, L. Basabe-Desmonts, F. Benito-Lopez, 28th International Conference on Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences, Micro Total Analysis Systems, μ-TAS-2024, Montreal, Canada, 13-17 October, 2024, (POSTER) W202.j.

A Paper-Based Microfluidic Detection and Quantification of MicroRNA-408 as an Indicator of Stress Responses in Crops. F. Nicolas Nazar, S. Pellegrini, E. Azuaje-Hualde, X. Arciniega, P. E. Guevara-Pantoja, L. Basabe-Desmonts, F. Benito Lopez, 28th International Conference on Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences, Micro Total Analysis Systems, μ-TAS-2024, Montreal, Canada, 13-17 October, 2024, (POSTER) W042.c.

A Reusable Microfluidic Sensor Device for the Colorimetric Detection of Ammonia Exudates in Building Materials, E. García-Rodriguez, I. Costantini, K. Castro, L. Basabe-Desmonts, F. Benito-Lopez, 28th International Conference on Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences, Micro Total Analysis Systems, μ-TAS-2024, Montreal, Canada, 13-17 October, 2024, (POSTER) W121.g.

Including a collaboration poster presentation with Trinity Collage Dublin:

Direct Laser Writing of Liquid Crystalline Cellulose Photonic Actuators Responsive Microfluidics with a Splash of Colour. A. Donohoe, J. Qian, R. Catalan, E. Azuaje Hualde, L. Bradley, L. Basabe-Desmonts, F. Benito-Lopez, L. Florea, C. Delaney, 28th International Conference on Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences, Micro Total Analysis Systems, μ-TAS-2024, Montreal, Canada, 13-17 October, 2024, (POSTER) T518.f.

The conference was an inspiring scientific event filled with engaging presentations and discussions, making it a rewarding experience. The well-organized social activities added a wonderful touch, making our stay in Montreal both enjoyable and memorable.

Congratulations to all our Master’s students!

The graduation ceremony was a wonderful way to celebrate the completion of your studies with us. Wishing you all the best as you embark on the next exciting steps in your careers!

Lourdes and Fernando gave on of the Workshops at MicroTAS 2024 in Montreal, Canada.

The workshop 10 entitled: REVOLUTIONIZING MICROFLUIDICS: THE POWER OF SMART MATERIALS AND ADAPTIVE SURFACES was a great success with 35 attendants.

It was a fantastic opportunity to share our interest in smart materials and surfaces for developing innovative microfluidic devices with the MicroTAS community.

On Thursday 26th September, a team from the Microfluidics Cluster UPV/EHU (Lourdes Basabe, Nicolas Nazar and Fernando Benito) met with members of Tekniker to discuss the development of collaborations in the context of coating and functionalization of surfaces.

It was a day of very productive meetings and discussions, with visits to the amazing facilities of Tekniker. We envision very fruitful collaborations to come.

The 20th of September 2024, Prof. Swaminathan Rajaraman, from the Materials Science & Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences and the Nanoscience Technology Center at University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA gave a wonderful seminar entitled: Acceleration of Biomedical Research with Micro/Nanoengineered Interfaces and Systems.

Abstract: The natural applicability of micro and nano-scale technologies in life sciences, agriculture and associated areas opens new avenues for powerful interdisciplinary collaborations between scientists, engineers, and medical professionals.

My research group works on the development of new micro/nanofabrication technologies and embedded biosystems technologies to address applications in several areas including: (1) Planar, 3D and High-Throughput Microelectrode Arrays (MEAs); (2) Plasmonic, micro- and nanoscale Interdigitated Electrodes (IDEs); (3) Microneedles for not only drug delivery into model plant and animal systems but also for functional monitoring; (4) Microfluidic devices to support Point-of-Use diagnostic systems and pico-scale mass sensing systems; (5) Embedded biosystems technologies for data manipulation from wearable and implantable sensors.

This talk will introduce established and ongoing efforts in Dr. Rajaraman’s lab in the space of these micro/nanoengineered areas that can help accelerate various types of biomedical research.

Bio: Swaminathan Rajaraman received his M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati (Cincinnati, Ohio, USA) and his Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, Georgia, USA) respectively. Prof. Rajaraman is a tenured Professor and a successful entrepreneur. He is currently Associate Professor in the NanoScience Technology Center (NSTC) and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at University of Central Florida (Orlando, Florida, USA) with additional appointments in Electrical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and Biomedical Sciences. Prior to his academic appointment, he has worked in the MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) industry with Analog Devices (Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA) and CardioMEMS (now Abbott Labs, Atlanta, Georgia, USA) and co-founded Axion BioSystems Inc. (Atlanta, Georgia, USA), a world-leader in high-throughput Microelectrode Arrays (MEAs) and MEA systems during and after his Ph.D. work. Axion was successfully acquired by the Swedish Private Equity Firm, Summa Equity in 2021. Axion spun out BioCircuit Technologies (Atlanta, Georgia, USA) in 2019 whose product NerveTape® is FDA-approved for sutureless nerve repair. Prof. Rajaraman has also co-founded Primordia BioSystems (Costa Mesa, California, USA) and serves on the Advisory Board of World Precision Instruments (Sarasota, Florida, USA).

His current research interests include in vitro and in vivo Microelectrode Arrays (MEAs), hybrid micro/nanofabrication, micro/nanofabrication on novel, biological substrates, microneedles, agricultural microsystems, microfluidic devices, multimodal cell-based nanosensors, 3D printing, embedded biosystems, and implantable MEMS devices. He also serves as the Deputy Director of the NSF I/UCRC, MIST Center at UCF. He has published more than 95 articles in peer-reviewed journals and conferences, holds close to 35 patents/applications, developed several MEA products that are in volume production and has mentored close to 65 graduate students, undergraduate students, engineers, and post-doctoral fellows. Dr. Rajaraman has served/serves on the Technical Program Committee (TPC) of IEEE Sensors, Hilton Head MEMS Workshop, IEEE Transducers, and IEEE MEMS. He was the Program Chair for Hilton Head MEMS Workshop in 2024 and is the General Chair for the Hilton Head MEMS Workshop in 2026. He additionally serves as an Associate Editor of IEEE JMEMS.

On the 16th and 17th of September, our Forensic Analysis Master's students successfully defended their theses at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of the Basque Country.

It was a remarkable event where all four students presented the work they conducted in our laboratories over the past five months. Each received an excellent grade, reflecting the high quality of both their thesis manuscripts and presentations.

We are incredibly proud of you all! Wishing you the very best for the future.

THESIS TITLES:

Laura Lartitegui-Elorza "Development of a microfluidic device for naked-eye detection of scopolamine in adulterated beverages"

Jesús Ibarra Gómez "Development of a paper integrated microfluidic device for the visual detection of cortisol"

Sara López de Lacalle Arregui "Investigating T Cell activation through IFN-γ secretion using a novel cell monitoring platform"

Alexia Ramos Gutiérrez "Copatterning of biomaterial microstructures and cells by printing and vacuum lithography technique"

Emilio García Rodríguez successfully presented his Master's Thesis entitled “Microfluidic sensor for the detection of ammonia in construction materials”.

On Friday, September 13, Emilio García Rodríguez, student of the Interuniversity Master's Degree in New Materials, taught by the University of Cantabria (UC) and the University of the Basque Country (UPV), defended his Master's Thesis entitled “Microfluidic sensor for the detection of ammonia in construction materials”. The defense took place at the Faculty of Sciences of Santander, where he obtained an excellent grade of 9.5 over 10.

This work, developed at the Microfluidics Cluster UPV/EHU, was directed by Prof. Dr. Luis María Lezama Diago, Ikerbasque Research Professor Dr. Lourdes Basabe Desmonts and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fernando Benito López. Under their supervision, Emilio made progress in the creation of an innovative sensor capable of detecting ammonia, a compound of interest in environmental monitoring within the construction industry.

Emilio's research has been recognized not only for its excellent qualification, but also for its scientific quality, which will allow him to present his TFM at the prestigious congress Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences - Micro-Total Analysis Systems (µTAS 2024), to be held in Montreal, Canada. This event is a world reference in the field of microfluidic systems and their application in chemical and biological sciences.

With this defense, Emilio concludes his research stage in the working group, having previously successfully defended his Final Degree Project (TFG) in Chemistry, also in the same line of research. His trajectory promises future important contributions to the field of materials science and sensor technology.

Nicolas Nazar (PhD), a researcher from the Microfluidics Cluster UPV/EHU was invited to be part of the EU COST (Cooperation in Science and Technology) ACTION CA21124: LIFTing Farm Animal Lives - laying the foundations for positive animal welfare. He is a member of Working Group 2 (Leader,  Linda J. Keeling), which focuses on Identifying valid methodologies to assess positive animal welfare, and was invited due to his expertise in immunological and physiological welfare indicators.

In this way, the foundations are built for medium and long-term synergies between the areas of microfluidics and animal welfare.

https://liftanimalwelfare.eu/

https://liftanimalwelfare.eu/structure/working-groups/

https://liftanimalwelfare.eu/structure/leadership/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I03h21TTP5Y